XCOM: Enemy Unknown is Firaxis-developed strategy game

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the cover story for the February issue of Game Informer, and is described as a "full-on strategy game that puts players in command of a global anti-alien defense force." How's that for staying true to your roots?

The reveal of 2K Marin's first-person XCOM reboot was not entirely well-received. "If they want to make a generic FPS where you fight aliens, why the hell bother using an existing IP that almost single-handedly created a completely different genre?," Shacker Mad Brahmin Disease asked nearly two years ago, when the reimagined game was first unveiled.

While few doubt 2K Marin's ability to make a fine FPS, XCOM fans were disappointed that the franchise was straying so far from its strategy roots. Capitalizing on that sentiment, 2K Games has another XCOM game up its sleeve--a strategy game from Civilization developer Firaxis.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the cover story for the February issue of Game Informer. Enemy Unknown is described as a "full-on strategy game that puts players in command of a global anti-alien defense force." How's that for staying true to your roots?

"We're huge fans of the original game and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-envision a game that is as beloved as X-COM," Steve Martin, president of Firaxis Games, told the magazine. "We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise." The game will be available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Undoubtedly, more details will be trickling out about Enemy Unknown in the coming weeks. Update: 2K expects the game to release in Fall 2012; the other XCOM game is scheduled for fiscal 2013. A fan-made XCOM remake-of-sorts called "Xenonauts" is also in the works.